Sorreinn
Description The secluded realm of the elves, Sorreinn, stands as a physical testament of the elves mastery over magic as well as their stance towards their neighbours. Shrouded in mystery to most outsiders the elven realm can only be easily accessed by a single route leading directly into the dense forests that seemingly swallow all light upon entry. Travelers who stick to the single road (and are judged to not be a threat) will eventually arrive at the marbled capital city Thelthalas. Although once considered steadfast allies to humanity, over time as the two races grew in power both began to see each other as a threat, elves considering humans to be precocious children who recklessly expand their territories and utilize magics frivolously, while humans consider elves to be too arrogant in sharing their natural wealth and committing their people in wars against foreign threats. Geography The home of the elves is a land of extremes. Both beautiful and deadly, the peninsula that is Sorreinn is best known for it's two main geographical features, Dúremel Forest which covers nearly the entire land in a canopy that allows for precious little sunlight to pierce through and is rife with exotic and dangerous wildlife, and the snaking Tiranor Mountains that are entwined throughout the entire land. Without a guide most travelers who entire Sorreinn are often doomed to wander it's forests until either saved by Nightshadow rangers or devoured by the enchanted wildlife, and it is not unheard of for an orc warlord and his warband to walk past Thelthalas itself deeper into the forest never to be heard of again. Aside from the capital and elven villages the only other two major settlements are the coastal cities Nimroth and Ethenil whose people are largely responsible for trade with Ulthwe, Tokatek and the great plains of Urcart. Inhabitants and Society Survivors of the cataclysm that brought them to Golrynn, Sorreinn elves are for the most part a deeply insular and conservative even compared to their counterparts on Golarion. It is rare that outsiders are allowed into the elven kingdom, and when they do it is often through Nimroth and Ethenil to trade their wares and spread news of worldly events. Only through permission of a Noble House are outsiders allowed to pass through the circle of mountains that surround their proud capital of Thelthalas. Elven society largely revolves around the Noble Houses that hold political power over the people, and almost all elves swear themselves to a House that most aligns with their interests. Upon pledging their loyalty they are under the benefits, protections, and restrictions of a particular house. While no House is legally allowed to prevent a member from leaving, each has set rules on the process that can vary in difficulty. Some can be as easy as paying a fee like Sunspire requires, while others such as Allerion require that the individual relinquishes all earned titles and treasures obtained while in their service. Perhaps the easiest way for a commoner to change houses is via marriage, often to a stronger house community. For actual nobles themselves marrying into another house is generally encouraged to build stronger relations. On such occasions the newlywed wife would retain very few of her old house connections and would effectively be seen as a full member of her husbands family. Mostly due to the heads of each House being male, there has never been an opportunity for two houses to be joined together, but it can be certain that such an alliance would shift the political landscape of Sorreinn drastically. Houses Sunspire and Nightshadow are the largest communities as the common elf largely benefits from protecting and maintaining their villages and forests. Randirion followers are perhaps unsurprisingly popular on the coastal cities but conversely hold little power inland. House Allerion is extremely popular for those seeking glory and status, as well as those with hate in their hearts for the crimes of men, dwarves, and orcs. Nostramos and Llorien are by far the smallest and least supported but for different reasons. Nostramos during the founding of their nation was the single most powerful house next to Iorthondir, but the treachery of Ralomoris Nostramos saw their future irreparably damaged by royal declaration. House Llorien is unique for that it's only members are strictly related by blood, allowing no common elf to join their ranks as their duty is purely political and are the eyes and ears of the crown. House Shimlim, a recent addition, is popular for more learned elves who seek to utilize the power of the arcane to help the elf race. Lastly is Supreme House Iorthondir. Ruling the nation with undisputed power, it is ingrained into the very fabric of elven society that all owe fealty to the one who sits upon the throne. Currently the ruler is still King Farondis Iorthondir, and while his reign has been fairly just and beneficial there is unrest that his growing aggression and provocations with foreign nations threaten the safety of the realm, dividing those who wish to maintain their isolationist policies and those who wish to claim the lands of Golrynn in the name of elven supremacy. History - Founding of Sorreinn (A.C 0): When the world of Golrynn split off from Golarion, the wizard king Iorthondir was the first of the mortal races to gather his people and ascertain what had happened. Swiftly through the use of magic the elves founded their nation on the southwest peninsula, safely building their empire behind the natural defences of mountain ranges and dense heavy woodland forests. - Alliance with the Race of Men (A.C 1): Knowing full well that alliances would be necessary to protect their borders as well as foster good relations between the typically expansionist humans and the more conservative elves. Aiding the humans of the desert the Elves of Sorreinn reintroduced arcane magic to the lower class humans strengthening the might of the desert people but striking a divide between Sorreinn and the Hachani family. - First War of the Urcarti (A.C 55-59): Not long after the establishing of Sorreinn and the alliance with Hachani did the Orcs who festered in the north come spilling down south, eager to wage war and dominate the whole continent. While the alliance with the humans was to be honoured, Iorthondir did not enjoy the prospect of waging war against a massive tide of savage orcs, who instead of labouring to create new cities and civilizations like the other mortal races, had been breeding and increasing in number for the day they would stampede across the lands and lay low all others. King Iorthondir sent his greatest general Allerion and battalions of soldiers to defend their allies. After five grueling years of warfare the orcs numbers were finally spent and retreated back to the lands of Urcart. Although the greenskins were repelled the alliance between men and elves soured, the elves blaming the humans for their poor leadership in allowing the orcs to grow to such massive numbers, while the Hachani blamed the elves for not supporting them in earnest. - Second War of the Urcarti (A.C 215-219): Known as the Shadow War to the elves, this lesser known event in history is only well recorded by elves and orcs. Orchestrated by the drow queen Saradrith, the sadistic elf wished to enslave Farondis as her personal pet and claim the rich lands of Sorreinn for her people. Manipulating the Urcarti into alliance they led the orcs through underground routes that exited into the Tiranor Mountains. The initial blow was devastating. Completely unprepared by such an attack many villages were sacked and many commoners were butchered and enslaved by the unrelenting orcs, eager at last the strike at the home of their hated foe. House Nightshadow performed admirably during the initial weeks of the war saving many innocents and using Dúremel Forest as a living trap for the orcs, but while these tactics may work on a roving warband the rangers struggled against the sheer numbers that spilled forth from the numerous caves of Tiranor. Worse yet were drow infiltrators that often assassinated the defender's chain of command easily as the orcs caused mass havoc. Eventually fully roused to battle Iorthondir took it upon himself to martial the full might of Houses Allerion, Nostramos, and Sunspire and scourged the mountain ranges of orc filth. At the climatic battle the Wizard King faced off with Saradrith having finally cornered the mastermind behind the war. Swelling with rage Iorthondir seared the flesh off of the drow queens bones with golden flames, and with the death of their leader drow and orc alike fled to the Underdark as the passages they had used were thoroughly sealed by Nightshadow druids. - Betrayal of Nostramos'' (A.C 223): Long had jealously festered in Ralomoris towards Farondis, seeing himself as a more worthy ruler and having the true interests of the elven people in mind. This compounded with the aftermath of the Shadow War convinced Ralomoris that the king was too incompetent to protect the realm and set about concocting his scheme to be rid of the entirety of the line of Iorthondir. However before the dark mage could enact his betrayal a former member of House Allerion who had been married into the Nostramos family uncovered Ralomoris' treachery and reported it to the king. Found guilty Ralomoris as a founding member demanded trial by combat, but Farondis rigged the match and sapped magic from the arena ensuring doom for the head of Nostramos - '''Blood Sands conflict (A.C 467-477)': A young prince of Hachani foolishly crosses the borders into Sorreinn demanding that the elves honor their tribute to his soon-to-be kingdom and asks for artifacts that the men of old traded away to the elves to show that they supported his claim to the throne. Receiving only warnings to turn back the prince orders his personal household guards to set the forests ablaze, swiftly angering the forest spirits who then quickly decimated the human interlopers. News of this event soon reaches Hachani and they subsequently declare war on their erstwhile allies and both nations engage in a grueling decade long war. Even though the elves were heavily outnumbered they had the advantage in more experienced soldiers, superior spellcasting, and the aid of House Allerion's dragon knights which more than evened the odds against the humans. After ten long years their was no real gain for either faction as despite the advantages of the elves, their losses affected their fighting force more so than the seemingly never ending tide of Hachani troops who now after being pushed back for so long had the advantage of home terrain, an environment that ill suited the elven army. Mutually agreeing to end the war the countries came to an armistice and an uneasy peace formed. But ultimately it was the elves who had suffered more as they had lost many an experienced soldier and were slower to rebuild their population compared to the humans of Hachani who ultimately learned much about the strengths and weaknesses of their western neighbour as well as developing a taste for elf slaves. - Pact with the Dragons of Tiranor (A.C 608): Growing weak and old, Farondis Iorthondir makes a pact of power with the great wryms of Tiranor. Whoever of his royal blood that is able to appeal to and pass the trials of the dragons shall granted a measure of their draconic power, taking a coloured scale from a great wyrm impressed enough. Obtaining a golden scale Iorthondir alters his crown to draw power from the scale, ensuring his vigour and health, effectively achieving immortality. - Current Events (A.C 1000~): Having largely stayed out of the affairs of the other races of Golyrnn aside from that of trade and spying Sorreinn has become an isolationist nation focusing on the well being of it's own people. Hachani has recently declared war against Sorreinn after nearly five centuries of peace, causing King Iorthondir to relent and send diplomats to Ulthwe to convince them to side with the elves. Noble Houses * Supreme House Iorthondir: For as long as records date back, Iorthondir first settled the peninsula that would one day become the elven kingdom of Sorreinn, as such they have been the undisputed rulers since the country's founding. * House Allerion: Renowned household that commands the overall military might of Sorreinn, has led the elven people through the fiercest wars against expansionist human factions and the Urcarti Orc clans. * House Nostramos: A house best known for their immense, but shady, magical prowess. * House Llorien: Foreign diplomats, the Llorien family are the most active throughout the whole of Golrynn as both ambassadors and spies. * House Sunspire: Keepers of the walls. The Sunspire family in addition to maintaining the defence of the city and it's walls, also see's to the architecture of the city interior. * House Nightshadow: Rangers of the forests of Sorreinn, they inhabit the woods themselves instead of their capital city and are the first line of defence for the realm. * House Randirion: A house responsible for protecting the seas around the peninsula of Sorreinn as well as handling Sorreinn's port economy. * House Shinlim: An arcane house devoted to using new discoveries to benefit the elven race. Category:Elf Category:Ben's Pathfinder Campaign Category:Sorreinn Category:Setting